How Backward Can a Church Get?

In the 1970s, an openly gay man sought ordination in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA). After a two year study by a task force, the church concluded that homosexuals should not be ordained in the ministry. That all changed in 2011 when the denomination ordained its first gay man.

Fast forward to today. Just recently, the denomination’s General Assembly Council voted 389-24 to add gender identity and sexual orientation to a list of protected classes in their constitution. That was followed by a vote of nearly two to one to require candidates for ordination to be vetted for their commitment to guarantee church participation and representation to all the protected classes. In other words, it would make it mandatary for PCUSA clergy to affirm LGBTQ ideology, and those not willing to accept it cannot be ordained. The only thing lacking now is for the motion to be approved by the various presbyteries around the nation. Given the overwhelming vote at the General Assembly, it appears to be only a matter of time.

So, the denomination has moved from a biblical stance on sexual morality, to rejecting biblical morality, to now actually mandating anti-biblical morality – all in just a few short years. Along with that, the denomination’s membership has dropped from 3,121,238 in 1983 to currently around 1,100,000 – and still declining.

Some have asked the question, “Can the denomination turn the decline around?” I think the simple answer to that question is NO – unless they are willing to make a dramatic reversal. That reversal is quite unlikely.

It is important, at this point, to make a very careful clarification. The cause of the decline in the PCUSA is not directly their stance on homosexual clergy. That is only a symptom of the actual problem. There are other symptoms, as well. For instance, in 1970, the denomination officially switched from an anti-abortion to a pro-abortion stance. Generally, their current moral beliefs, on these two issues and many others, fall in line with the political left in America.

But again, these are only symptoms of the real problem, not the problem itself. The real problem is that they have stepped away from biblical theology. There is now no official theological standard that churches must follow, and each one is basically free to choose its own theology. Almost all of them adhere to some “liberal” theological form (Neo-orthodoxy, Liberation Theology, with some even repudiating the authority of the Bible altogether). Essentially, they have bought into a system of worldview beliefs that is expressed in naturalistic philosophy, rather than biblical theology. Most don’t believe in miracles (or even the supernatural), and don’t see Jesus as one who came to save the world from sin. They seen Him more as a social activist of His day, who is an example for us today. As such, their moral values are based on a relativistic foundation, rather than the objective moral beliefs expressed in the Bible.

The practical implication of all this is that they get to make up their own moral beliefs. And the moral stances they have chosen have produced the results mentioned above. Another implication is that their advocacy ends up being focused on political action rather than spiritual salvation. In fact, many see the very idea of spiritual salvation as a hindrance to their ability to advocate for the moral views they prefer.

The end result of it all is the rapid decline that is happening in the denomination. When God created mankind, He created us as persons in His image. He made us not only capable of a relationship with Him, but made that relationship to be the only means by which we can find ultimate fulfillment in our lives. It is built into our very being. It is the churches which recognize that reality, and hold to the beliefs that promote it, that are growing.

Of course, the PCUSA is not the only denomination that has gone down that road. Perhaps they have gone a step further than any other one at this point by mandating acceptance of gay ideology, but virtually all of the mainline Protestant denominations have now split over this controversy – Episcopal, Lutheran, Congregationalist, and most recently the Methodists – with those following liberal theology seeing massive declines.

And what is the ultimate result? The ultimate result will be that these groups that reject the Jesus of the Bible and turn to a false theology will eventually dwindle down to nothing. Ultimately, people have a God shaped hole in their life that only He can fill.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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